CHANGES TO THE ADMISSION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES SECTION FOR
COMPUTER SCIENCES PROGRAMS IN THE COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
CHAPTER OF THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG, 2004-2006

Dean Mary Ann Rankin of the College of Natural Sciences has filed with
the secretary of the Faculty Council proposed changes to the admission
apolicies and procedures section
for computer sciences in the College of Natural Sciences chapter in The
Undergraduate Catalog, 2004-2006. The faculty of the college approved
the changes on October 30, 2003. The dean approved the proposed changes
on January
20, 2004, and submitted
them to the secretary on January 21, 2004. The secretary has classified
this proposal as legislation of exclusive application and primary interest
to a single college or school.

The edited proposal was received from the Office of Official Publications
on March 10, 2004, and was sent to the Committee on Undergraduate Degree
Program Review from the Office of the General Faculty on March 15,
2004. The committee forwarded the proposed changes to the Office of
the General
Faculty on April 22, 2004, recommending approval. The authority
to grant final approval on behalf of the General Faculty resides with
the Faculty
Council.

If no objection is filed with the Office of the General Faculty by the
date specified below, the legislation will be held to have been approved
by the Faculty Council. If an objection is filed within the prescribed
period, the legislation will be presented to the Faculty Council at its
next meeting. The objection, with reasons, must be signed by a member of
the Faculty Council.

To be counted, a protest must be received in the Office of the General
Faculty by April 30, 2004.

<signed>

Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary
The Faculty Council

This legislation was posted on the Faculty Council
Web site (http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/) on April 23, 2004.
Paper copies are available on request from the
Office of the General Faculty, FAC 22, F9500.

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CHANGES TO THE ADMISSION POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES SECTION FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES PROGRAMS IN THE COLLEGE
OF NATURAL SCIENCES CHAPTER OF THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG, 2004-2006

On pages 400-401, under the headings ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION and ACADEMIC
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES in the College of Natural Sciences
chapter in The Undergraduate Catalog, 2002-2004, make the following
changes:

ADMISSION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCES

[The number of qualified students who want to major in computer sciences exceeds
the number who can be adequately instructed by the faculty and accommodated within
available facilities. To provide students with the best possible educational
experience, the Office of Admissions limits the admission of students to the
pre–computer sciences major, and the Department of Computer Sciences further
limits admission to the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Computer
Sciences degree programs.]

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences,
option I, is a two-step process. Students begin as pre-computer sciences
majors and, after completing a sequence of lower-division courses, apply for
admission to the major.

Application to the Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences, option II (the
Turing Scholars Program), is made by a different process than the one outlined
below.
The Turing Scholars Program is described on page 401.

THE PRE–COMPUTER SCIENCES MAJOR

Freshman and transfer applicants to the University who wish to major in computer
sciences should apply to the pre–computer sciences major. [Admission
to
pre–computer sciences is highly competitive, and the admission requirements
are more stringent than those of the University. As a result, a student may be
admitted to the University but denied admission to pre–computer sciences.
Because even qualified students may be denied admission, every student who applies
for admission to the pre–computer sciences major should have an alternate
major in mind in case the application is denied.]

[Freshmen and transfer students from other institutions are admitted to pre-computer
sciences only for the fall semester.] Applicants who are admitted are
expected
to attend Orientation [the summer] before they enter the University. [Current
University students may apply for a change of major to pre–computer sciences
for either the fall or the spring semester. Deadlines are published by the Department
of Computer Sciences at http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/UTCS/undergradoffice/admissions/changing.html.]

[Students in the pre-computer sciences major have priority to register
for Computer Sciences 307 and 315. Other students may enroll in these courses
when space is available. Courses in the major sequence beyond 315 are open only
to computer sciences majors.]

Pre—computer sciences students who lack either one year of programming
in high school or credit for Mathematics 305G (precalculus) will be delayed by
at least one semester in completing the basic sequence coursework that is required
for admission to the computer sciences major. [Students who lack both of these
prerequisites are at a disadvantage in completing the basic sequence coursework
and may benefit from special programs offered by the University; information
about these programs is available in the College of Natural Sciences Transitional
Advising Center.]

ADMISSION TO THE MAJOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCES

To apply for admission to [a computer sciences degree program,] the
Bachelor
of Arts or the Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences, option I, the student
must earn a grade of at least C in each of four basic

3249

sequence courses: Computer Sciences 307 and 315, Mathematics 408C or 408L,
and Philosophy 313K. He or she must [also have a grade point average in
these courses of at least 2.46 and must] complete at least two of the courses
in residence at the University. These requirements apply both to pre-computer
sciences students and to other University students seeking admission to [a]
one of these two computer sciences [degree program.] programs.

Applications are evaluated after the end of each [long-session semester] fall
semester, spring semester, and summer session by the Department of Computer
Sciences Admission Committee. Students whose applications are denied may reapply
through the supplemental admission process the following semester [the
following summer]. Admission decisions are based on the student’s grade point average
in the basic sequence courses, his or her University grade point average, and
other factors; these factors include, but are not limited to, the difficulty
of the student’s course load, course repetitions, and proven mathematical
ability. [The grade point averages required for admission vary from semester
to semester.] Students should consult advisers in the College of Natural Sciences
Transitional Advising Center (TRAC) for information about the application process
and application deadlines.

[Admission to computer sciences degree programs is highly competitive; a
student may be denied admission even though he or she meets the coursework
and grade
point average requirements to apply for admission. Because even qualified students
may be denied admission, every student who plans to major in computer sciences
should have an alternate major in mind in case the application for admission
is denied.]

TURING SCHOLARS IN COMPUTER SCIENCES

The Department of Computer Sciences offers a comprehensive honors degree program
for highly motivated and talented students. The key features of the program
are an intensive, accelerated path through the core curriculum within the freshman
year; a first-semester sophomore-year course that exposes students to significant
concepts that are often not encountered until graduate school; special Turing
Scholars sections of many advanced computer sciences courses; a second-semester
sophomore-year course that introduces students to the research activities of
the department; and at least two semesters of supervised research and writing.
Upon completion of both a sequence of Turing Scholars courses, approved by
the program director, and an approved thesis, students graduate as Turing Scholars
in Computer Sciences.

Application to the degree program is separate from and in addition to application
to the University. Application materials and information about deadlines are
available in the Department of Computer Sciences office and on-line. Students
may enter the program either as freshmen or after they have enrolled at the
University. Factors in the admission decision are the student's high school
grades, his or her class rank, the rigor of the courses the student has taken,
the quality of the essays required by the application, and the student's interest
and aptitude in math, science, and computing as demonstrated by extracurricular
activities. [Additional information is available from the Department of
Computer Sciences.]

RATIONALE: The department has opened pre–computer sciences
for admissions during all three semesters. Additionally, we have changed our
pre-C S–to–C S admissions policy to allow students to apply at
the end of all three semesters. The department also felt the previous admissions
language was too negative.